Are You A Black Medical Student, Resident or Fellow? Tell Us About The Challenges
As part of our investigation into mental health challenges for medical students and physicians in training in the U.S., we’re trying to understand the unique pressures that Black trainees face — and how systems can be improved.
Half of white medical trainees in the U.S. believe such myths as Black people have thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people — as least according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. It is just one study in a body of research that paints a dire picture of the racism that permeates the medical system today.
Despite the increased enrollment of women and most ethnic groups in medical programs over the last several decades, Black medical students continue to be underrepresented —and under supported— in medicine. African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but only 5% of all doctors. The problem is especially notable at academic medical centers and institutions that train new generations of doctors, confronting Black trainees with unique burdens on top of an already arduous career path.
As part of our investigation into mental health challenges for medical students and physicians in training in the U.S., we’re trying to understand the unique pressures that Black trainees face.
If you are a Black medical student or a physician in training in the U.S., we’d like you to tell us about some of your experiences. What have been some of the greatest mental health challenges you’ve faced? What do you wish your other colleagues knew? How would you like to see things change?
The form below asks six questions. More than anything, we’d like you to describe specific experiences and feelings — individual incidents and how they impacted your mental health.
We may follow up with you to talk by phone, but we take your privacy preferences seriously. If you wish to remain anonymous, we can honor that request. If you aren’t comfortable filling out the form below, you can also reach us at 781-269-1635, either by calling to leave a voicemail, sending a voice memo on WhatsApp, or contacting us securely on Signal.
If you know of others who might have information for us, please send them this page, or share it on social media using #DyingToHeal. If you have other information to share, write us here or send an email to Clinic@journalism.cuny.edu. You can also learn more about our work and reach out to individual reporters here.
Dying To Heal
Help us investigate suicide among medical students and physicians in training